Love Of My Life
by Thn0715
Summary: In keeping the promise he made to Haley, Jack learns about how his Mom and Dad met. Two-shot.
1. Aaron's POV

**A/N: Good evening friends! This story was continued due to requests by Brummie 10 and Xzonia. Some of you may have already read this first chapter. It was originally published as part of my "Excerpts From Falc's One Shot Fridays" collection. It's a song-based oneshot. But they requested that I tell the other half of the story and I couldn't resist. So Chapter 2 is completely new and not part of the "Excerpts..." collection. Nor is it song based. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this little trip down memory lane! The song this chapter is based on is called "Love of my Life" by Queen. Let me know what you think!  
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_Where are they? _Aaron thought as he ransacked his room looking for something very specific. Two things, actually. _I know I left them together. Where are they? _He looked under the bed, through every drawer, and all through his closet until he finally found what he was looking for.

"Yes! Perfect!" He said aloud as he made his way back to the living room. Jack was sitting on the floor playing with his action figures and his Aunt Jessica was on the couch watching TV.

"Hey Jack," Aaron called. "You wanna hear a story?"

Jessica looked up from her sitcom and saw Aaron holding something in his hands. Recognizing them immediately, she turned off the TV and made room on the couch.

"Oooh, I've heard this one before, Jack!" she said. "This is a good one!"

Jack climbed onto the couch between his father and aunt with an excited look on his face, which turned to confusion when he saw the items his dad was holding.

"Daddy, why do you have a pirate hat?"

"It's an important part of the story. Here, why don't you hold it for me." He plopped the hat on Jack's head and it immediately fell over his eyes.

"Hey!" he giggled. "Now I can't see!"

Jessica laughed as Aaron pushed the hat back a little so Jack could see.

_He's smiling and laughing. That's a good start, _Aaron thought as he opened his copy of "Reflections 1987" and began the story.

"Once upon a time, way back in the year 1987, there was a young man named Aaron." He flipped to the 'Juniors' page. "This handsome young man right here," he added, showing Jack his picture.

"That's you, Daddy!" he exclaimed. "You had a lot of hair!"

"If you think he had a lot of hair, wait till you see the next picture," Jessica added with a chuckle.

"Hey! Who's telling this story?"

"Sorry. Please continue," Jessica said as Jack continued to giggle.

"Thank you," Aaron said, looking down at Jack, who only giggled more.

"Anyway," Aaron continued. "One day young Aaron was looking for a classroom he had never been to before and he accidentally walked into the wrong room. And in that room sat the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world. Her beauty took Aaron's breath away and made him dizzy and made his knees weak."

"What's that mean?" Jack asked.

"That means that she was so beautiful that young Aaron almost fell down because his legs weren't strong enough to hold him up!"

"Wow! Girls can do that?"

"They most certainly can," he answered. "You'll see for yourself one day, when you get older."

"It's like magic!"

"It's exactly like magic," Aaron responded, still impressed at how his son could be so perceptive at just four years old.

"So anyway," he continued the story, "young Aaron had to find out who this beautiful girl was. As soon as he got home from school, he pulled out his yearbook and flipped through all the pages. He started in the 'Seniors' section." He held out his yearbook and opened it to the senior class pictures. "But she wasn't there. So he moved to the 'Juniors' section." Again, Aaron flipped through the pages for Jack to see. "But she wasn't there, either! So he moved on to the 'Sophomore' section, and there on the first page was the beautiful girl from the theatre class. And her name was Haley."

He angled his yearbook so Jack could see. His face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Mommy!" he yelled excitedly. "Wow, Aunt Jessie, you were right! That's a lot more hair!"

Aaron and Jessica both laughed out loud.

"How did she get it so big?"

"That's more of your Mommy's magic, with a little help from an incredible hair spray called Final Net," Jessica answered.

"Wow!"

"Okay, so the next day," Aaron continued through his chuckling, "young Aaron decided he had to meet young, beautiful Haley, so he did the only thing he could think to do...he joined the Theatre Club."

"You?"

"Yes."

"But..." Jack hesitated. "But you can't act, Daddy!"

"Yes, I know. Thank you!" he replied, messing up Jack's hair (the hat long ago leaving his head and finding his lap) and laughing even harder. Jessica tried to hold it in, but she laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

"But even though I couldn't act, I got to meet Haley and she became my best friend in the whole wide world and we fell in love. And we performed a play called ' _The Pirates of Penzance _'."

"That's where you got the hat!"

"That's right. And that's why I've kept that hat, even all these years later. Because it reminds me of how I met your mommy and how much I loved her, even all the way back in 1987."

"That's a long time, Daddy."

"I know. And now I want you to keep it so you'll always remember how much she loved you and because that hat is the reason you are here. All because I walked into the wrong room and became the worst Fourth Pirate in the history of Fourth Pirates!"

Jack hugged his daddy tightly. "I'll take good care of it, Daddy."

"I know. Now it's time for bed."

Jack hugged his aunt, and he and Aaron headed for his room. Jack hung his new pirate hat on the post of his headboard and climbed between the sheets.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Will you tell me that story again tomorrow?"

Aaron smiled. "Sure. I love you, Jack."

"I love you, too."

Aaron kissed his forehead, and before he even left the room, Jack was sound asleep with a smile on his face.

He returned to the living room and turned on the stereo, making sure the volume was low so as not to wake Jack, and loaded his favorite Queen CD into the tray. As Freddie Mercury's unparalleled voice filled the room, he walked to the mantle where Haley's picture sat.

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Love of my life - you've hurt me

You've broken my heart and now you leave me

Love of my life can't you see

Bring it back, bring it back

Don't take it away from me

Because you don't know –

What it means to me

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Love of my life - don't leave me

You've stolen my love and now desert me

Love of my life can't you see

Bring it back, bring it back

Don't take it away from me

Because you don't know -

What it means to me

.

He reminisced about all of the wonderful days and nights he'd spent with this incredible woman over the course of nearly 23 years. He remembered their highs and lows, their triumphs and failures. And how, even after the divorce, after the pain, and now even in her death, his love for her never wavered. He still felt it as strongly as he did the first time he laid eyes on her.

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You will remember -

When this is blown over

And everything's all by the way -

When I grow older

I will be there at your side to remind you

How I still love you - I still love you

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Hurry back - hurry back

Dont take it away from me

Because you don't know

What it means to me

Love of my life

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"I kept my promise, sweetheart," he spoke aloud to her. "I hope I did us justice."

"She still loved you too, you know," Jessica said as she leaned in the doorway. "Maybe next time I'll tell you and Jack her side of that story."

She put on her coat and headed for the door, stopping briefly.

"And just so you know, yes, you did the story justice. Good night, Aaron."

"Thanks. Drive safe."

As Haley's sister left, Aaron turned back to the photograph and smiled. "I love you, Haley."

And for the first time since her funeral, he went to sleep smiling instead of crying.


	2. Jessica's POV

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Brummie 10 and Xzonia, who both requested that I tell Jessica's version of how Haley met Hotch. I hope you like it and it holds up to your expectations. I'm a little nervous about it, so please tell me what you think! Hope everyone enjoys one more trip down memory lane!**

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_One week later…_

Jack was busying himself in Aunt Jessica's living room, trying to figure out how many presents under her Christmas tree belonged to him. He wasn't actually reading yet, he was still a bit young for that, but he had learned to recognize his own name. So far the count was up to six!

Aaron was helping Jessica clean up the kitchen after dinner.

"Thank you for doing this," he said.

"No problem," she answered. "I figured you could use the distraction tonight."

"Yeah."

He was going back to work tomorrow. It would be the first time since Haley's death that father and son would be apart. Jack seemed to be dealing with this okay, so far. Aaron…not so much. He was, rather uncharacteristically, a nervous wreck. They finished up and headed back into the living room.

Jessica had a plan to hopefully get Aaron to relax and to have both Hotchner boys laughing by the end of the night.

"Hey Jack."

He looked up from his quest. He was half under the tree and the garland draped around his head like a blue and silver halo. Jessica stifled a chuckle.

"Remember that story your Dad told you last week about how he met your mom?"

"Yeah."

"You want to hear your Mom's side of the story?"

"Yeah!" He jumped up and ran to the couch, promptly climbing into Aaron's lap and giving his Aunt his full attention.

"This should be interesting," Aaron said. "I don't know if I've heard this version."

"Get comfortable," she said, and she began to tell Haley's side of their story.

"Now, I am two years younger than your Mom, so I didn't go to the same school as she and your Dad. When she was in tenth grade in high school, I was in eighth grade in middle school. So I didn't find out about their unexpected meeting until she got home from school that day. She came running into the house, flew up the stairs, and went straight to her room. I knew right away that something had happened, so I followed her."

Jack was entranced by her storytelling already. She had a way of infusing her stories with great enthusiasm.

"She was sitting on her bed with her yearbook, like the one your Daddy showed you last week, you remember?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, she had one, too. And she was flipping through the pages really fast!" She mimicked Haley paging through the book and Jack giggled. "And she kept saying, _Where is he? Where is he?_ I thought she was going crazy! I finally asked her what she was doing, but she just kept flipping!"

That really had Jack giggling. Even Aaron had to laugh at that image.

"And then she said, _Finally_! I looked over her shoulder to get a better look. I asked her who she was looking at, so she pointed out his picture and said, _Aaron Hotchner_."

"That's you, Daddy!" Jack was borderline giddy by this point.

"That's right," Jessica answered before Aaron could. She nudged Aaron with her elbow. He was blushing just a little bit. Haley had told him once how she felt when she saw him for the first time, but hearing about it from her sister's point of view had him slightly embarrassed. Jessica knew it and she was going to play it for all it was worth. She continued the story.

"I must admit, your Daddy was a very good looking young man. But I'd never heard her talk about him before. So I asked her, '_Who's Aaron Hotchner?'_ And she said, '_I don't know, but I'm going to find out!'_"

"Oh, geez," Aaron uttered. Now he was really getting embarrassed. Jessica's plan was working masterfully. And she had one teeny tiny major league surprise in store for them later. Through her giggles, Jessica continued.

"Okay, so anyway, the next day she came home after school and was in a super good mood because this Aaron Hotchner guy had decided to join the theatre club and he sat next to her during their meeting."

"She actually told you all this?" Aaron asked skeptically.

"Oh, honey, I got a new story every day!"

"Wow! Daddy, she talked about you a lot!"

"Yeah, it sounds like it, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Um…if you boys are finished?" Jessica joked and continued.

"So, everyday I got to hear about how Aaron sat next to her, and how he asked for her phone number, and she was so giddy when he asked her to go to the theatre club party as his date after their play on opening night. That's the night I and your Grandma and Grandpa finally got to meet him."

She stole a quick glance at Aaron. Jack looked up at him as well. He was smiling. Seeing his Daddy smile made Jack smile, too. Finally, little by little, they were starting to heal. And it seemed that telling Jack stories about his Mom helped move that healing process along. So Jessica kept talking.

"Your Daddy was so nervous. So was your Mommy. She warned us before the play that he was not a very good actor and begged us not to make fun of him. And we kept our promise, even though he was really, really bad!" Aaron shook his head, silently chuckling. "He was very nervous about meeting our Dad. He tried to look confident, but he was nearly shaking!"

"Really?" Jack looked at his Daddy in surprise. "But you're not afraid of anybody!"

"Not now, but back then I was young and I really wanted him to like me."

"But Grandpa likes everybody."

"Yeah, but he didn't know me then. And I didn't know him. You know how you feel when you meet somebody for the very first time? How you're a little bit scared and unsure?"

"Yeah."

"That's how I felt."

"Oh."

"So, he was very nervous, but then he would look over at Haley and immediately calm down. And he would smile at her with those big dimples and she would just grin from ear to ear! She really liked this boy, and he must have really liked her too to make a total fool of himself on that stage just so he could be close to her. So Dad let Aaron take Haley to the party. And that was their first date. And you know the rest!"

Aaron noticed a devious little glint in Jessica's eye and he knew the evening wasn't over yet.

"What are you up to?"

Jessica's grin grew wider. "Now," she said to Jack, "I have a little surprise for you."

"A present?" He was getting giddy again with anticipation.

"Sort of. I don't even think your Daddy knows that this even exists."

She reached underneath the couch and pulled out a little black rectangular case. Aaron saw it and his face conveyed several distinct emotions seemingly all at once. His eyes narrowed in confusion, widened in surprise as it dawned on him what that case possibly held, and then he was hit with…could it really be… fear? No. More like abject terror!

"Please, God, please tell me that's not what I think it is." He was practically begging. Jessica laughed. Hard.

"What is it?" Jack insisted. "What is it?"

"You want to see your Mommy and Daddy when they were in that play?"

"Yeah!" Jack squealed in excitement. "No!" Aaron pleaded in panic.

"Sorry, Aaron. You've been outvoted!"

Aaron's head dropped as Jessica got up and put the old videotape in the VCR and pressed play. Jack was mesmerized at the sight of his Mommy and Daddy as teenagers. It was like a fairy tale come to life right in front of him.

Haley was beautiful. She sang beautifully. She danced beautifully. She really was a very talented actress. Aaron, on the other hand, was terrible. He sang off key. He danced out of step. He messed up what few lines he had. He truly had no acting ability whatsoever.

Jack sat glued to the television and loved every second of it. And he laughed his head off at how horribly bad his father was on that stage. Even his four-year-old mind could plainly see why his father was considered "the worst fourth pirate in history!"

"Is it over yet?" Aaron sounded more like his four-year-old son than a 43-year-old FBI Agent.

That made Jack laugh harder. Finally Aaron was put out of his misery when the tape ended. He let out a sigh.

"Thank goodness."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Let's watch it again!"

"Nooo, let's not!" He leaned over and started tickling his son. He loved to hear that youthful laugh and see that innocent smile. Honestly, he'd do just about anything to see and hear it whenever possible. Even endure the most embarrassing moment of his life over and over and over again. But Jessica rescued him.

"Next time you come over, you and I will watch it without him so we can really laugh. What do you say to that?"

"Yay!"

"Okay, buddy. Go get your jacket. We need to be heading back home."

While Jack ran after his jacket, Aaron turned to Jessica.

"I can't believe she never told me about that tape!"

"That's because she knew you'd try to destroy it!"

They both laughed. She looked at him admiringly for a moment.

"It's good to see you smile again. Haley always loved your smile. It was the dimples. She thought they were so cute."

He chuckled and blushed slightly. "She talked about my dimples?"

"Oh yes!" He shook his head.

"Thank you for doing this. It helps."

"Anytime. Like I told you, you're still family. I just want to see you and Jack happy again."

"We're getting there."

Jack came bustling back in with his jacket already on. He gave his Aunt a big hug. She whispered in his ear. "Remember, next time we watch it again, just the two of us. Deal?"

He smiled big. "Deal!"

"You two be careful out there."

"We will. Thanks again. For everything."

She nodded understandingly. "Good night."

"Night."

She closed the door behind them, went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She brought it back into the living room and restarted the tape. She held up her glass to the screen and made a toast to her best friend, her confidant, and protector.

"Well done, sis. You did good."


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